Identification of local (phase) parameters in heterogeneous media

Purpose of this study is to develop a methodology to characterize local constitutive models in periodic heterogeneous media, when only global experimental measurements are available. This approach has been applied to the identification of constitutive parameters for metals. The behaviour of an heterogeneous periodic medium, consisting of a metal-matrix with voids as inclusions, has been simulated by means of FE and homogenization techniques. Both statistical and deterministic parameter identification algorithms have been employed. A correlation index has been used in order to quantitatively compare computed and experimental displacement fields.